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Rolling up multiple layers from a single wetted out sheet of fabric is an easy, fast, and less expensive way to build thickness on something long and slender, provided you don't mind a visible longitudinal seam. You can sand it smooth after curing, but it will probably still be visible.

The sleeves are more expensive, but do not leave a seam. So they work well for an outermost layer, or like Griswold did, to build thickness in smaller areas like a muzzle or trigge mech. They also expand and contract to fit a range of diameters (like the old "Chinese finger cuffs" toy), so they can easily be applied to a tapered shape.

I got my carbon at solarcomposites.com, you can also get it at jamestown distributors - they are cheaper, but don't have the sleeves.

CW, this thread is the tutorial, if there's something I left out just ask and I'll tell you how I did it.

It would, but there are 5 wraps of carbon in that area, which allowed me to cut the slots without sweating the strength. Also, due to the shape, the line anchor plate would have needed to be curved, and worse the recess for it would have had to be curved while maintaining a constant depth - major PITA.

I think it would lose about 0.75 pounds. Don't forget though that a reel can be added which will increase the mass by more than that amount.

The 15mm band material is some in-between sized stuff that I got from John Hanson.

The bullseye is a big headed push pin.

Gun is done. Here are some shots while pool testing.

The ones that are hard to figure out are of the target on the first shot with 1 band and the first shot with 3 bands - both shots are from about 20 feet (from my hand) shot one handed. The 9/32" shaft is the dark thing and the bright white thing is the bull's eye. You could say it shoots well.

It handles beautifully in the water.

It is setup with 3 TIGHT 15mm bands, and it does kick but not in a way that affects accuracy.

The total weight is right at 7.0 pounds.
The total length is 66 inches.
The distance from the front muzzle hole to the back fin is 58 inches.
The distance from the back of the handle to the butt is 9 inches.
It still has enough buoyancy to float a reel.

Got to get all this documented so that I can remember how to make another one for myself.

Hau, LunkerBuster, John, Adrian, and Dewasw, your muzzles are in the mail.

Please feel free to post any thoughts on improving the design. I'm not a railgun shooter, so I'm entirely dependant on you guys to find the flaws.

Thanks. Life keeps me from diving as much as I would like to, but I never really stop thinking about it.

I made up a batch of 8 muzzles patterned off the one that I made for Adrian a couple weeks ago. The original discussion is here: http://spearfishing.world/spea…0-adrians-new-muzzle.html

Six of the batch are spoken for, but I have two black ones left. These fit the RA aluminum "Tuna" barrels. The muzzle itself is black Delrin, with a 9/32" shark spike that projects 1-1/2" from the front of the muzzle. The spike was cut from a scrapped Riffe shaft, so it is hardened material. The line wrap pin, and line anchor are stainless.

Price is $45, which include Priority Mail shipping in the U.S.

Welcome John,

You will also find that it is OK to disagree the with owner here.

Good to have you here.

When you refer to metal wishbones, are you talking about the ones that are made from a simple round wire? Or the "articulating" ones that have tiny hinges and more elaborate shapes?

I have had the round wire ones break on me many times (as that's what my old JBL had for years before I knew there was a choice). Always this occurred on loading, and I never got so much as a scratch. Of course, I always wear gloves, so I can't say what would happen if bare handed.

One of the reasons that I like them is because without looking I can feel them "click" into place behind a shark fin tab. When I am diving on scuba, all the additional equipment can make it difficult to see and feel the loading process as well when chest loading.

I just like the clean, unobstructed look down the shaft. To me, a clearer vision of the target is a plus.

Quote from griswold

Let's go try that thing out!

Hell Yeah!

Quote from pargo

I don't remember Riffe sharkfin tabs looking like that but I could be wrong.

Correction - You are right. This one has no markings, so I don't know who made it. I was thinking of the shaft that I was cutting up for the shark spike muzzles.

Let's go try that thing out!

I sliced the ingots on my lathe. It could have been done with a saw, but the lathe is prettier.

It's a Riffe shaft on temporary loan from Griswold's stash, just so I had something to get it all fit up. I'll be in the market for a couple of 60" shafts.

A few more miscellaneous pics:

Here's the muzzle:

And here's the obligatory "I know you should never load a speargun out of water but I had to load one band just to show the clean sight lines" pic:

Here's one showing the nice clean transition from where the tube ends, to where the epoxy glass material picks up at full depth:

This is how I did the ballast. I bored a hole in the butt, behind the trigger mech. Then I used the same Forstner bit to make a temporary mold. Lastly, I sliced up the ingot into several different thickness. If I ever add a reel, or change anything else, it will be a simple matter to remove the butt pad and adjust the ballast.

And some close ups of the handle, with sliding trigger and pushrod:

Another thing that I wanted to experiment with was using my mill to bore long horizontal holes. This worked out GREAT! I was able to drill a slightly undersized hole with a 1-3/8" Forstner bit, and then finish it perfectly to size by using a smaller Forstner with sandpaper wrapped around it. The tube is inserted 10" into the wood, and pinned with three 3/16" pins, in addition to epoxy.

After boring the hole, I milled a separate piece of track material provided to me by Richard (3D Pro on SB). This stuff is a dream to work with. It appears to be a glass reinforced epoxy, that is very tough, easily machined, and adheres very well to wood with the West Systems epoxy. The specs say that it expands very little with temperature (as is the case with many composites), so growth should not be a problem.

It allowed me to enclose the small space above the tube into an enclosed track, and to carry that enclosed track rearward to the trigger.